Ancestry.com DNA welcomes you to our new BLOG home and much more

Posted by Wendy Jessen on January 14, 2009 in Ancestry.com DNA

WELCOME all of our Ancestry. com DNA users and friends to our new home. Something’s new with Ancestry.com’s DNA BLOG…

First, we have a permanent residence under the Ancestry.com blog umbrella at blogs.ancestry.com – hooray. (Our look and arrangement are slightly different but our functionality and goal remain the same.) Our objective here is to provide answers to your questions, keep you informed of the evolving Ancestry.com DNA service and build a community of active Ancestry.com DNA users.

Second, we have a new Ancestry.com DNA release. On January 13, 2009, Ancestry.com DNA announced a new low price for the Y33 paternal lineage test making it much more affordable to consumers. In addition to this new low price many new features were added that we hope will delight you as well, more on the release in a minute.

And third, a new face to our Ancestry.com DNA blog. So, a little about myself: For years, I’ve worked in the online digital networking space connecting people. This last year, I refined my interest to online networks for connecting families across distance and time and joined Ancestry.com DNA and the exciting world of genetic genealogy. As Director of Product Marketing for Ancestry.com DNA, I’ve personally experienced and gained valuable insight into my own family’s history through DNA testing. I have discovered my own ancient ancestral origins are haplogroup K, but with the help of Ancestry.com’s on-line resources, I’ve also been able to expand my family tree! And the synergy of these experiences transfuses to my workday tasks. I look forward to discovering many genetic cousins in the future as the database grows.

DNA adds a powerful dimension to genealogical research. With this new release, we are now able to see the power of genetic genealogy within our own family trees. DNA tree integration will improve your research process of evaluating potential matches within Ancestry.com’s expansive historical and genealogical databases and even validate your conclusions. I am very excited we are able to offer this new low price for a higher marker test (this will certainly get a few of my family fence-sitters to finally take the test.)

Highlights of the release include:

Y33 only $79! The Paternal Lineage test (Y-chromosome 33 markers) previously available for $149 is now only $79. Our Y46 marker test is now $149 down from $199.
Integration with Ancestry.com’s Family Trees — (at last!) DNA results can easily be added to members’ Ancestry.com family trees — attach, infer, or copy DNA to your DNA participant, associated ancestors up the line, and to close matches.
New User Interface to help users better navigate through our site and understand the great benefits of DNA testing, what you receive when you purchase a test and what you can do with your results after your test is complete. Send you new invitees to these pages for a great tutorial.
Combo Y+ mtDNA testing. Bundle Y + mtDNA (for a single participant only) testing options together in one transaction.
Fun Facts. Ever wonder what other R1b people liked to eat, what their favorite TV show is and more? We’ve selected several fun facts for all users to answer about themselves. We’ll collect the data and display them for each user’s haplogroup so the user can get a sense for how they match with others in their group.

Ancestry.com DNA is a great tool for helping people expand their family trees and connect with family across distance and time, and it just got a little easier to use.

In this BLOG I will provide product detail and updates, feature insight, and answers to your questions. We have a lot of exciting new features planned for 2009 and we realize there are additional other features our customers want and need. We will continue to work towards accomplishing those in 2009 and appreciate your feedback. Your suggestions are very welcomed and encouraged. If you have a technical or customer service-related comment, please send these in an email to our DNA Client Services team at dna@ancestry.com instead of to the blog.

48 comments

Comments

1 Rita MayfieldJanuary 14, 2009 at 4:23 pm

What is it with this new search page? Why can we not leave well enough alone? I went to ancestry search clicked on Texas and got the awfulest mess to try to sort through I ever saw. Please, Please, tell me there is a place I can go to get back the old way to access Birth Death Marriage etc. It will take wasted hours to sort through this new mess. I guess this is why the site has been down lately?

2 CynthiaJanuary 14, 2009 at 5:01 pm

With respect to the efforts of those trying to upgrade the system, I heartily agree with Rita Mayfield’s comment. When I go into, let’s say, the Birth Marriage and Death search, I get every other state except the one I submitted with my completed info. In “improving the site”, I believe things have become much more complicated. I, too, appreciated the ease of search within the original methods when I joined Ancestry.com a few years ago. I got much more and quicker results. I’ve already deleted one tree because I found that there was a duplicate, and I was wasting much time entering the same info between the two trees! Now, in my new tree, I’m finding nearly the same experience. Help!

3 RodneyJanuary 14, 2009 at 6:31 pm

upgrade is great!!
like attaching DNA to the tree.
new prices good also

4 John LancasterJanuary 14, 2009 at 8:58 pm

Please restore the ability to search for individuals–not just groups–that existed before January 13.

Thank you.

5 John LancasterJanuary 14, 2009 at 9:23 pm

What advantage do you think the new Match Table has over the previous one? I liked the old one better because it was more flexible and allowed creating a table of persons in whom I’m interested. Can you restore the selectivity feature?

Thanks for your consideration.

6 Theodore VierraJanuary 15, 2009 at 10:44 am

I concur with Rita Mayfield and Cynthia in yesterday’s comments about the Birth Marriage and Death search. For me the whole ancestry system has been completely shut down for several days. Is there anyone there who can inform the clientele what the problem is, and when we can expect the system to be up and running? Ted

7 Laurence DingmanJanuary 15, 2009 at 8:50 pm

how do I apply for a DNA test kit?

8 Walter G. Montford IIIJanuary 15, 2009 at 11:53 pm

What would a Y-DNA test tell me without having a data base to compare mine to? I have browsed this site and others and can not find my Surname listed.

9 Wendy JessenJanuary 16, 2009 at 12:12 am

John, the search for individuals has been moved to the Groups section. To access this search, login; then from your My DNA Console page, you will see a “JOIN GROUPS” tab on the left, click on this and you will see a “Search for Groups” and “Search for Individual” on the far right.

10 Wendy JessenJanuary 16, 2009 at 12:13 am

John, thank you for your comments. The thought behind removing the selectivity feature was simply that it seemed like a complicating step to force everyone to first select the people they want to compare with rather than just going ahead and presenting the user with a full comparison.

Note that a direct comparison with a single other person, however, can still be accomplished by clicking on the person’s name in the Match table and choosing “Compare” on the resulting screen.

I am interested in your and other user’s feedback to this direction. If we determine significant demand for maintaining a selectivity requirement, then we can certainly look at implementing this functionality again.

11 Wendy JessenJanuary 16, 2009 at 12:16 am

Laurence, to order a DNA test kit, click on the large organge ORDER box on the homepage http://www.dna.ancestry.com. It is located on the right hand side about 1/3 down the page.

12 peggy hallJanuary 16, 2009 at 12:04 pm

What in the world? I have been away for a month and today I am totally confused with the program. I can’t find anything familiar including where to log out. Help!

13 Wendy JessenJanuary 17, 2009 at 3:22 am

Oh, Peggy, what a natural reaction to significant changes as we have recently done. Hang in there and keep playing with the site and you’ll become more familiar with the new changes. They were designed to help you navigate more clearly through the site. (And the logout link is up in the header on the top right!)

14 Wendy JessenJanuary 17, 2009 at 3:28 am

Walter, the strength of DNA is that many connections are discovered with individuals whom a surname is not shared. That said, however, the genealogical power is greatly enhanced by having a searchable database that grows. The good news is that our database is growing quite rapidly. Some users connect immediately, while others as the database grows. There are several things that you can do in your situation. You can be the first to start a group with your surname and act as an administrator. Furthermore, the results do yield ancient ancestral information that is not contingent upon a surname. Discovering your haplogroup allows another possible DNA group to which you can join.

15 BrettJanuary 18, 2009 at 1:09 am

I like very much the new DNA Console. Lots more info and very clear. My question is this. I purchased a DNA test for myself and maternal Grandfather. I like how the DNA links to my tree and through the generations. However since my Grandfathers DNA was produced on a seperate non subscription family tree, how do i link it or join it up on to my family tree. I am planning on doing more testing and would like a solution. Keep up the excellent work, don’t stop inovating.

16 Margaret BlackJanuary 18, 2009 at 8:16 am

I have contacted an anonymous record on the DNA site and haven’t heard from them. Are all of the DNA reports from Ancestry members? Also is there another or other sites that Ancestry members can contact for comparison?

17 JenniferJanuary 19, 2009 at 7:32 am

I am wondering, like Brett, how I input two sets of Y-DNA results. I have linked my father’s DNA to my tree. Now I would like to add my husband’s.

18 Wendy JessenJanuary 19, 2009 at 1:14 pm

Margaret, DNA users do not have to be paid Ancestry.com subscribers, however, each DNA user does have to have an Ancestry.com account. Users can select their DNA preferences and permissions after logging in. In addition to the large Ancestry.com DNA database, there are other publicly available databases for DNA comparisons, one of which (SMGF.org) is available directly from your results page. We will automatically plug your results into the database and search for you.

19 Wendy JessenJanuary 19, 2009 at 1:38 pm

Brett and Jennifer, to attach your Grandfather’s DNA (or husband’s) to your tree, you first need to invite him to your Tree. After logging into your Ancestry.com account, find “View all my trees” in the “My Trees” menu. Then simply “invite family” to the desired tree. Be sure to assign a role of either “Contributor” or “Editor” to your grandfather which will allow him to both view and edit your tree (and attach his DNA.) If your grandfather needs help, you can log in on his behalf and attach his DNA.

20 Tina BurtonJanuary 20, 2009 at 2:11 pm

Hi, I am wondering if there are any DNA in-house experts who can answer questions about intepreting results. I am an administrator to a couple of DNA groups but by no means, an expert. I have fielded several questions from members that I do not know the answer. I may spend countless hours trying to come up with an answer that probably still may be wrong. Is there someone in-house that can help with DNA interpretation questions? Thank you!

21 Wendy JessenJanuary 20, 2009 at 4:29 pm

Tina, we have several people in-house with experience on the genetic genealogy education front. Please send your questions to dna@ancestry.com for assistance in interpreting results.

Many great resources are available on the internet as well. “Trace your Roots with DNA” by Smolenyak and Turner and “DNA and Family History” by Pomery are a couple easy-to-read books and great for all stages of understanding.

22 Stevie ArmstrongJanuary 21, 2009 at 6:21 am

Hi – I want to trace the possibility of Jewish origins possibly 6 generations back. Being female I would have to ask my brother to supply the sample, this I understand. But, the trail would keep dodging between the sexes i.e. male, male, female, male, female male, male. Would I be able to obtain what I seek or would the search just keep to the male, therefore being of not the same interest/value. Thanks

23 Ancestry.com Blog - » Ancient Ancestry and Genetic Genealogy DNA testing for only $79January 21, 2009 at 4:31 pm

[...] Wednesday, January 13, we announced a new Ancestry.com DNA release. Coinciding with this release is the introduction of some very exciting new features and the [...]

24 Wendy JessenJanuary 21, 2009 at 4:43 pm

Stevie, your scenario is not yet supported by our current testing. Our Y-DNA tests provide insight to the direct paternal line, so only your father’s father’s father’s information would be accessable. You may want to check out our FAQ’s http://dna.ancestry.com/faq.aspx#testingtribe.

25 BrettJanuary 22, 2009 at 2:26 pm

Wendy, Thank you for replying, I have done as you suggested and now my grandfather is linked in my tree with his DNA. However the inference function does not work, his male line do not display the DNA in my tree. Is this the way it should be or is there another step I need to do. I am trying to link everything together on one tree and use that as the base for all my research. It is inconvenient to keep logging into other trees which are created as a result of ordering DNA tests. Is there going to be any changes in how the DNA results are managed and/or displayed?

Sincerely

Brett

26 JoshJanuary 23, 2009 at 6:43 am

What is with the general comments about Ancestry.com, search features etc? This blog post is about the DNA testing.

27 Val MorelandJanuary 23, 2009 at 10:09 am

I did the maternal DNA test and results are in. Problem is I don’t know what I am looking at or if I am even looking in the right place. Where can I find help and figure out what I am looking for? Also how do I attach the DNA to my tree. I keep buzzing around the site but can’t seem to hit on the right spot.

Thanks!

28 Wendy JessenJanuary 23, 2009 at 10:13 am

Brett, I am sure you are doing everything right. Yesterday, we uncovered a logjam (technical term) preventing the propagation of the DNA throughout the tree, and potentially minor UI items. These were worked on last night and we are testing now. Thank you for your patience as this is being worked out.

29 Wendy JessenJanuary 23, 2009 at 2:30 pm

Val, both your ancient ancestry and your actual DNA results are available via a quick link on the left “See Ancestry” and “View DNA” respectively. Additional educational links are available on those pages as well that are great resources, such as your full multi-page PDF report, a link to our genetics partner, 23andMe, and links to our learning center material.

Should you have any specific questions about your results, please contact dna@ancestry.com and our experts can assist you individually.

On the Results page once you have logged in, below the large image in the center is a link DNA in Your Tree. This gives an overview of linking your DNA to your tree. Furthermore, on the right hand side of your Results pages is a link “Attach Results to Tree.” This link walks you through the steps for attaching your own results to your family tree.

30 ValJanuary 24, 2009 at 6:16 am

thanks Wendy, I found it all after more info. Now I need to study up because I am not understanding all of it. What is the best place to find an “elementary” explanation of all the facts?

As you can tell I am new to most of this!

Thanks!

31 CarolJanuary 24, 2009 at 3:22 pm

After logging in to the Results page, I can’t get past the Privacy Preferences. If I click on the Update Preferences button, nothing happens; if I deselect the “location” area, I get an error message. This has been going on ever since I received e-mail notification that my results were in.

32 Wendy JessenJanuary 24, 2009 at 5:48 pm

Val, there are so many great resources for learning more about genetic genealogy. Our own learning center has some high-level information here. Other good resources include Turner and Smolenyak’s Tracing your Roots with DNA, or Pomery’s Family History and DNA. Wikipedia and ISOGG and Roots TV are other good places to start. Don’t be afraid to ask your Group Administrator or other members of your group. The community is very helpful. The science is ever-growing, so we are all still students!

33 Wendy JessenJanuary 24, 2009 at 6:01 pm

Carol, when a user purchases a test for someone else, the DNA results of the supplier must be tied to an account specific to the DNA provider. The login information for that test purchase is communicated via email to the purchaser. Furthermore, the purchaser continues to receive status updates of the testing.

I am not looking directly at your account, but I would bet that you purchased testing for someone and the link in the email is taking you to your account (not the account to which the DNA results are attached), this is why you are “stuck” at the DNA preferences, instead of seeing actual results. To remedy the situation, logout of the system as YOU, then log back in with the other credentials. If you do not have the email with the login information, give dna@ancestry.com a quick email with your user name and order number and they can sort it all out for you.

Ancestry.com is so smart that it remembers you when you come back to its site, it does this through cookies; however, when we have a situation with multiple logins, such as user A purchasing for user B, then the cookies cause a little conjestion. So, please, everyone, remember to LOGOUT prior to switching between Ancestry.com accounts.

34 ValJanuary 28, 2009 at 9:46 am

Is the mtDNA the only DNA test a female can do? As you can see I am still learning!

35 Wendy JessenJanuary 28, 2009 at 8:57 pm

Hi Val, the mtDDNA test is the only option Ancestry.com DNA provides for females to directly provide their own DNA. A female, however, can obtain a male relative to represent one of her paternal lines. She can also act as a group administrator.

36 Brian ColemanJanuary 30, 2009 at 3:57 am

Hi – Just received my DNA results and promptly posted them to my tree (that was nice and easy). I am hoping that the process to provide me my detailed information as well as my Haplogroup is not quite finished yet. It states that I am an Arctic Herder… as cool as that would be, I’m fairly certain I fall into the ubiqutous R1b Haplogroup. One more thing I was sad to see that I am not closer than 12 generations or so (@ 50%)to anyone (including the SMGF database). Do I just wait for more people to submit or is there some active comparisons that I can do elsewhere.

Thanks!

37 Wendy JessenJanuary 30, 2009 at 10:33 pm

Brian, it does appear that your results were posted prematurely. At the completion of the analysis, your haplogroup prediction is noted as R1b as is currently displayed on the website. As new results are added to the database and a match with your data is discovered, you will be notified via email. Some connect immediately, while others as the database grows. Thanks for participating! I love getting those match emails.

38 Keith FoxJanuary 31, 2009 at 4:12 am

I’v just upgraded my subscription to worldwide. How do i get to to search BMD in Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand ETC.

39 Wendy JessenFebruary 2, 2009 at 11:14 am

Keith, this blog is about Ancestry.com DNA and the DNA service. Your question would best be directed to Anne Mitchell http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/category/ancestry-com/search/. thanks

40 Maurice L. Sarles, Jr.February 3, 2009 at 8:41 am

I submitted my DNA to Sorenson (SMGF) and eventually my Y-DNA results appreared in their Y-DNA Database. Recently I submitted my DNA to GeneTree and now have my mtDNA results. How do I get that into into my Ancestry profile without having to pay over and over again?

41 Wendy JessenFebruary 3, 2009 at 12:18 pm

Maurice, a link on the homepage entitled “Transfer Results From Other Lab” will take you through the process of adding results from another lab. Not all labs are yet represented, however, at this time.

42 Kathleen DemaraFebruary 4, 2009 at 11:48 pm

I’m a beginner and just wanting to know my family and if in fact I’m a chippewea indian. I know I’ve found my deceased father who died in 1974 and a grandfather same name born in 1881. I was told many years ago from my mother that I had both grandparents that were indian. As I’ve gotten olden with children and grandchildren, I’m doing more searching. I never met my father,I just found out the year he died yesterday. I’m hoping from this site maybe a relative will be looking and the site will work for me and my family. I do appreciate this site and the helpful hints.

Thanks Again,

Kathleen Demara

43 Jane BelmontFebruary 5, 2009 at 10:30 am

I, too, find the new look confusing. I find I have to do more to get less. So far, I’ve been able to use the old look. Hope they don’t take that away, but rather let suscribers have the choice of new or old. That being said, I also have a complaint about the new DNA look. In the past, I have been able to type in my surname and find others with same. I don’t have the need for groups at this time, but would like to see other surnames who have tested. When I type in my surname, Belmont, I come up with all kinds of results mostly for Belmont County in a multitude of states. Don’t want that – only want surnames. Have talked with dna@ancestry.com and while they have been very nice, they have no answers. Very frustrating to say the least. New is not alway better!

44 Jane BelmontFebruary 5, 2009 at 10:45 am

I find I must “eat crow” just checked again and found that they restored the search surnames so that the list comes up now. Thanks

45 Floyd DutsonFebruary 11, 2009 at 9:13 am

Why do I not receive a percentage breakdown of your ethnicity, race or geographic origin with any Ancestry.com DNA test.

46 Wendy JessenFebruary 12, 2009 at 4:08 pm

Ancestry.com DNA provides an indication of your ancestral haplogroup and reveals your precise DNA values. Although deep ancestral geographic information is provided, precise tribal or ethnicity breakdown is not a result of the paternal and maternal testing offered. For more information, please visit our FAQs.

47 Brett V.March 28, 2009 at 7:51 pm

Wendy, I’m a paid subscriber to Ancestry.com, but prior to joining had a DNA test through 23andMe. Though they are Ancestry.com’s official DNA partner, transferring the DNA results is a challenge. First, 23andMe is not listed as an provider option, and one therefore must to choose “Other.” Then, when you get to the “Transfer Your DNA” page, the marker value drop downs do not correspond with 23andMe’s “Raw Data” report… Isn’t there an easier way to transfer my 23andMe data? Shouldn’t I be able to migrate the data, as you are both partner companies? Thanks, and I look forward to your thoughts….

48 Wendy JessenApril 2, 2009 at 2:13 pm

Brett, 23andMe does not type Y chromosome STRs like we do; furthermore, with few common mtDNA SNPs between us, squeezing their data into our format is not a viable option. We are working together with 23andMe on some future collaborative considerations.

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